Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany,, commonly known as Lord Dunsany, was an Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist. He published more than 90 books during his lifetime, and his output consisted of hundreds of short stories, plays, novels, and essays. He gained a name in the 1910s as a great writer in the English-speaking world. Best known today are the 1924 fantasy novel, The King of Elfland's Daughter, and his first book, The Gods of Pegāna, which depicts a fictional pantheon. Many critics feel his early work laid grounds for the fantasy genre.
Dunsany in 1919 by Morrall-Hoole Studios
Beatrice Child Villiers, Lady Dunsany
Dunsany as captain, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, in the First World War
Photograph of Dunsany from the Bain News Service
The Abbey Theatre, also known as the National Theatre of Ireland, in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the public on 27 December 1904, and moved from its original building after a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the present day. The Abbey was the first state-subsidized theatre in the English-speaking world; from 1925 onwards it received an annual subsidy from the Irish Free State. Since July 1966, the Abbey has been located at 26 Lower Abbey Street, Dublin 1.
Front façade
A poster for the opening run at the Abbey Theatre from 27 December 1904 to 3 January 1905
Lady Gregory pictured on the frontispiece to Our Irish Theatre: A Chapter of Autobiography (1913)
John Millington Synge, author of The Playboy of the Western World, which caused riots at the Abbey on the play's opening night